Afterglow vs Buff
Afterglow and Buff come from the same Sherwin-Williams collection. Both sit in the beige family, which is useful context if you're narrowing within a single hue direction. The 10-point LRV gap — 75 for Buff vs 65 for Afterglow — means Buff will open up a space more effectively. Both share a warm character, which means they'll respond to light and surrounding materials in similar ways. A ΔE of 21.0 puts these firmly in different territory — two distinct design choices rather than close alternatives. Below you'll find 10 real-room photo comparisons where both colors appear side by side, plus 5 simulated room previews.
Afterglow vs Buff in Real Spaces
10 real rooms side by side. Seeing Afterglow and Buff in actual rooms makes the difference concrete; browse the spaces below to get a feel for how each color lives on a wall.
Living Room
A living room wall sees more varied light than almost any other surface in the house, which makes the choice between these two more nuanced than a chip suggests. Buff reflects noticeably more light off the walls, making the space read more open than Afterglow.
Bedroom
Bedrooms are typically lit with warmer, lower light than the rest of the house — a condition that flatters warm tones and deepens cool ones. Buff returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Kitchen
Kitchens often have the harshest, most revealing light in the house — under-cabinet LEDs and overhead fixtures that strip away subtlety. Buff returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Dining Room
Dining rooms often rely on warm incandescent or candlelight, which flatters warm undertones and mutes cool ones. The LRV gap is large enough that Buff will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Afterglow would.
Bathroom
Small bathrooms intensify color. A shade that seems quiet in a larger room can feel immersive when you're surrounded by it on four walls. Buff returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Home Office
Home office walls matter more than most — you're looking at them all day, and a color that reads fine at first can become tiring over time. Buff returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Mudroom
In a hardworking space like a mudroom, the depth and warmth of a color reads differently than in a quieter room. The LRV gap is large enough that Buff will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Afterglow would.
Patio
Exterior colors look different in open light — both tend to read lighter outside than on an interior swatch, and shadows read more strongly. The LRV gap is large enough that Buff will make the room feel meaningfully brighter than Afterglow would.
House
A full exterior is the most demanding test for a paint color — scale and outdoor light both amplify differences that seem small on a swatch. Buff returns significantly more light to the room — in a smaller or darker space, that difference in perceived brightness is hard to miss.
Color Details
Afterglow vs Buff Simulated Comparison
5 simulated room previews — drag the slider on each to see Afterglow on one side and Buff on the other.
Digital color is approximate. These simulations are generated from the manufacturer's hex values and overlaid on grayscale room photos — your screen's calibration, brightness, and viewing angle all affect how they render. Before committing to either color, test physical samples in your own space under the light you actually live with.
More Afterglow comparisons
See how Afterglow stacks up against other well-photographed colors across different brands and tones.
White Dove reflects far more light (LRV 83 vs 65), opening up a space where Afterglow encloses it.
At LRV 65 vs 52, Afterglow is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 65 vs 30, Afterglow is decisively the brighter choice.
A 5-point LRV gap (65 vs 60) makes Afterglow the marginally brighter of the two.
Afterglow reads slightly lighter (LRV 65 vs 58), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Afterglow reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 27), opening up a space where Denim Drift encloses it.
At LRV 65 vs 43, Afterglow is decisively the brighter choice.
Afterglow reads slightly lighter (LRV 65 vs 55), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Afterglow reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 44), opening up a space where Hardwick White encloses it.
At LRV 84 vs 65, Pure White is decisively the brighter choice.
With LRVs of 66 and 65, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Shoji White reads slightly lighter (LRV 74 vs 65), a gap that shows most in low-lit rooms.
Afterglow reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 12), opening up a space where Pewter Green encloses it.
With LRVs of 68 and 65, the two reflect almost the same amount of light.
Afterglow reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 12), opening up a space where Vintage Vogue encloses it.
Afterglow reflects far more light (LRV 65 vs 45), opening up a space where Saybrook Sage encloses it.
At LRV 65 vs 31, Afterglow is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 65 vs 7, Afterglow is decisively the brighter choice.
At LRV 65 vs 24, Afterglow is decisively the brighter choice.
A 8-point LRV gap (65 vs 57) makes Afterglow the marginally brighter of the two.